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Flood Of Meaningless Credit Alert 'Notifications' Worse Than Credit Card Offers & AOL Floppies - IMRAN™
Considering the many hacks of credit card and consumer identity databases over the last several years, I am obviously thankful to have credit alerts and notifications if or when some significant change or access to my credit report occurs.
I like that most major credit cards also throw in that service for free. I do not mind getting multiple alerts for something significant. But this is flood of absolutely useless credit alert notifications are beyond absurd, bordering on insane.
Here is Experian urgently and earnestly alerting me on Sunday afternoon that the credit usage on one of my credit cards decreased... by a massive orgasm-inducing reduction of.... $68. Sixty-Eight f(*&^ing Dollars reduction in the balance of a credit card that probably charges me18-24% blood-sucking interest on say $10,000... Let me do a backflip to celebrate!
This is an example of good intentions and bad thinking creating a UrUXSux experience.
What do you think of this flood of notifications, and every app and service -- and even web page --- on the planet shoving a "Let me irritate the $#!T out of you by allowing notifications" message in our faces?
© 2022 IMRAN™
#IMRAN #IMHO #UserExperience #notification #CustomerExperience #UX #CX #CustomerService #informationoverload #uselessinformation #Experian #Creditanalysis
Ladies and gentlemen of the class of '99
"Wear sunscreen"
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, "sunscreen" would be it.
The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.
I will dispense this advice NOW!
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth.
Oh, never mind.
You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded.
But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.
You are not as fat as you imagine.
Don't worry about the future.
Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum.
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Sing
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts.
Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss
Don't waste your time on jealousy.
Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind.
The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember compliments you receive.
Forget the insults.
If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters.
Throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life.
The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives.
Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.
Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees.
You'll miss them when they're gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't.
Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't.
Maybe you'll divorce at 40.
Maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary.
Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either.
Your choices are half chance.
So are everybody else's.
Enjoy your body.
Use it every way you can.
Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it.
It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.
Dance
Even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
Do not read beauty magazines.
They will only make you feel ugly.
"Brother and sister together we'll make it through,
Someday a spirit will take you and guide you there
I know that you're hurting but I've been waiting there for you
and I'll be there just helping you out
whenever I can..."
Get to know your parents.
You never know when they'll be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings.
They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go,
but with a precious few you should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get,
the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.
Live in "New York City" once, but leave before it makes you hard.
Live in "Northern California" once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel
Accept certain inalienable truths:
Prices will rise.
Politicians will philander.
You, too, will get old.
And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you.
Maybe you have a trust fund.
Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse.
But you never know when either one might run out.
Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it.
Advice is a form of nostalgia.
Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen.
"Brother and sister together we'll make it through,
Someday a spirit will take you and guide you there
I know that you're hurting but I've been waiting there for you
and I'll be there just helping you out
whenever I can..."
Everybody's Free, Everybody's Free To Feel Good!
VL-700 Valefor
As part of the Lego Empire Strategic bombing triad, the VL-700 Valefor offers an intercontinental bombing ability together with a stealthy design and impressive firepower.
More images here; www.flickr.com/photos/einon/
The Valefor is the second largest bomber used by the Imperial Lego Air Force, (twice the size of the real world B-1B Lancer) and it’s among the heaviest combat aircrafts ever built. The VL-700 is designed for both high altitude (flying at over Mach 4,5) and low altitude penetration (at transonic speeds). The variable-geometry wings with their full-span leading-edge slats and trailing-edge double-slotted flaps, confer a useful combination benign low-speed handling and high supersonic speed. The VL-700 has a crew of 6, sitting side by side inside a small and special capsule. Both Pilot and Co-pilot are provided with fighter-type control columns since the Valefor is extremely manoeuvrable. The controls are fully digital and the “fly-by-wire” system is controlled by a Quantic computer, also used for electronic and ECW warfare. The crew is composed of one pilot, one co-pilot, two bombardiers/weapons officers, one navigator/Electronic Warfare operator and one defensive warfare officer. Valefor crews love the aircraft; it has a large compartment for the crew to rest, a galley and two toilets (for both male and female pilots).
In the front of the cockpit is the long, pointed radome for the terrain following and attack radar, with a fairing below it for the forward-looking TV camera used for visual weapon aiming. Intercontinental range is assured by the provision of a fully retractable in-flight refuelling probe.
Located in two nacelles under the inner wing section there are the eight V-5000 Ramjets engines of the Valefor, each delivering 150kN dry thrust and 350kN with afterburner each. So far, they are the most powerful jet engines used in the world, allowing the bomber to fly at the edge of space, almost immune to the enemy AA missiles. The bomber is so fast that no enemy fighter is able to catch it. However, Stealth is the most important asset for the survival of the VL-700.
The need to reduce RCS (radar cross-section) became increasingly important, achieved by paying the most careful attention to achieving a smooth unbroken external surface without cracks and by covering the exterior skin with RAM (radar-absorbent material).
Mounted under the tail is a battery of 250 chaff/flare dispensers. Built into the fuselage is also a defensive avionics, with receiver antennas and jammers located in the tail bullet fairing. The VL-700 also carries a 50mm Gatling radar controlled gun, used to fire both chaff/flares or real ammunition with proximity fuses. The Valefor also carries two defensive launchers for 60 short-range Viper-II air-to-air missiles.
The Valefor offensive warload is carried in two (sometimes three) tandem weapons bays in the belly, with a maximum load of 50 000kg of bombs internally. These can hold a very impressive array of weapons, from anti-ship guided cruise missiles to simple conventional bombs. The bomb bay doors are designed to reduce radar signature and are only opened for a few seconds while the bombs or missiles are dropped.
Six external hardpoints for 30 000 kg of ordnance are also carried, for a total maximum load of 80 000kg (although that rarely happens). These are very useful for tactical missions which do not require high speed penetration, although a Mach 4 evade speed can always be achieve, by ejecting the hardpoints. These are never carried on high-speed missions, which means that on long-range missions, the Valefor usually carries less than 50 000kg of ordnance.
The Naval Aviation version:
The Naval Aviation version of the Valefor, known as VL-700N is a long-range anti-ship version, which can also perform tactical/strategic bombing as well as anti-submarine warfare. For the Anti-ship mission, the naval version carries a forward firing 90mm automatic cannon, used against small ships. It can also carry the D.D.N. and D.D.B. anti-ships missiles as well as smaller missiles. This version carries the XF-3000 forward AESA radar, designed for tracking ships and guiding missiles against them.
For the anti-submarine role, the aircraft carries a MAD pod on the fin and a large launcher for sonobuoys. The XF-3000 radar can also detect submarines near or at the surface. Anti-submarine missiles like the Subkara Mk-1 (warhead: one 460mm torpedo) and Mk-2 (warhead: one 800mm torpedo) are carried inside the bomb bay, as well as 460mm and 800mm torpedos, mines and depth charges. Air-to-surface rockets can also be carried under the wings. The naval Valefor is also used for supporting naval landfelds and attacking convoys, together with the Ofnir, Gerifalte and Firestorm bombers.
Variants:
VL-700E: When designing the VL-700 Valefor, consideration was given to the problem of bomber survivability in a long, lonely flight across a zone of enemy fighter activity and air defence. Therefore the VL-700E was built, an escort plane designed to protect a group of bombers beyond the range of friendly fighters. In addition to a powerful set of electronic countermeasures, the aircraft also carried a larger number of Valkyria and Empire’s Spear Air-to-Air missiles.
Info: Valefor is the name of my favourite Aeon from Final Fantasy X.
More images here; www.flickr.com/photos/einon/
General Characteristics:
Type: Long-range Heavy bomber
Crew: 6
Length: 91,1 metros (mais do dobro do B-1BLancer);
Height: 18,09meters;
Wingspan:
Spread: 85meters;
Swept: 53,02 meters;
Empty Weight: 170 000kg
Loaded Weight: 302 000kg
Max. Takeoff weight: 341 000kg
Powerplant: Eight V-5000 Ramjets; 150kN dry thrust each; 350kN with afterburner, each;
Performance:
Maximum Speed: Mach 4,5 at 25 000m;
Cruise Speed: Mach 1,3 (Super-cruise);
Range: Classified
Service Ceiling: 25 000m;
Rate of Climb: 180 m/s;
Armament:
1 × 50 mm Gatling cannon in remotely controlled tail turret;
Two defensive launchers for 60 Viper II short rangers Air-to-Air missiles;
Six external hardpoints for 30 000 kg of ordnance and two or three internal bomb bays for 50,000 kg of ordnance; options include:
Air-to-air missiles:
8 AA-2020 Valkyria medium-short range missiles for self-defence.
8 AA-2040 “Empire’s Spear” medium-long range missiles;
Air-to-ground missiles:
24 D.D.N. heavy anti-ship missiles;
60 D.D.B. medium anti-ship missiles;
120 AT-2040 “Vulcan” air-to-ground tactical missiles;
12 AT-1500 “Titan” heavy air-to-ground tactical missiles;
8 Subkara Mk-2 anti-submarine missiles;
24 Subkara Mk-1 anti-submarine missiles;
Bombs:
48 “Excalibur” Anti-runway bombs;
12 Valhalla Television-guided glide bombs;
100 Conventional 500kg bombs;
4 Thermobaric 10 000kg bombs;
Various unguided and Cluster bombs, Laser-guided bombs, Napalm, as well as tactical termo-nuclear bombs.
Others:
ECM protection pod, Pave Spike Laser designator pod, Buddy refuelling pack or 5 Drop tanks for extended range/loitering time;
Hope you like it!
More images here; www.flickr.com/photos/einon/
Eínon
Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis)
The bird is of a dark chocolate brown colour with bright yellow bill, legs and orbital skin. The ones found on the island country of Sri Lanka tend to be of a darker shade of brown. Indian myna has a conspicuous white patch which shows when the bird is in flight. This bird has a variety of sharp calls that is uttered with an absurd bobbing of the head.
It is a very visible bird thanks to its affinity to humans habitats. It has a habit of following humans around.
It is an omnivorous and eats whatever its habitat has to offer. This myna could be found in a groups or as pair, that is known to share domestic chores.
INTERESTING BIT:
Since it is found in PAIRS people choose to to call it 2 for joy! It is a kind of SUPERSTITION among the teenagers that if u see 2 together then all Good will happen to you and a loner will bring in sadness.
I still beleive this superstition till date! It works for me even now!
I offer my works for sale at a reasonable price. If you’re interested in purchasing photographs, email me at baotruongquyquoc@gmail.com
Alternatively, buy me a cup of coffee through PayPal: paypal.me/baobeo93
Cheers!
© All rights reserved.
All images available for licensing via me. I offer commercial and editorial pet photography on a commissioned basis. And with a pet picture database with thousands of hand-picked images of dogs, cats, as well as horses, I might already have what you are looking for. All pictures here can be licensed.
For licensing and commission requests: info{at}elkevogelsang.com -
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All images available for licensing via me. I offer commercial and editorial pet photography on a commissioned basis. And with a pet picture database with thousands of hand-picked images of dogs, cats, as well as horses, I might already have what you are looking for. All pictures here can be licensed.
For licensing and commission requests: info{at}elkevogelsang.com -
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | WEBSITE
© Elke Vogelsang
20250226_Batman_BatmanInTowels_1
licensing dog images
licensing dog photos
licensing dog photo
licensing pet photos
licensing pet photos
stock images of pets
stock images of dogs
commercial dog photographer
commercial pet photographer
commercial dog photography
commercial pet photography
commercial dog photograph
commercial pet photograph
commercial dog photographs
commercial pet photographs
studio dog photograph
studio dog photography
studio dog photographs
studio pet photograph
studio pet photography
studio pet photographs
license images of dogs
license images of pets
commercial license
commercial licenses
commercial licenses for dog photos
commercial licenses for dog photos
buy commercial license for dog photos
buy commercial license for dog photo
buy commercial license for pet photos
buy commercial license for pet photo
commercial licenses for pet photos
commercial licenses for pet photo
pet image archive
dog image archive
stock photos of dogs
stock photos of pets
buy dog photos
buy pet photos
buy cat photos
buy dog images
buy pet images
buy cat images
Fujifilm X camera
Hundefotos
Hundefotos kaufen
kommerzielle Hundefotografie
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Haustierfotos
Haustierfotos kaufen
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Welcome to my CrEaTiVe Space!
HOW IT WAS BUILT
A few years ago my husband offered to build me an art studio for my birthday. What a great gift! Little did I know at the time that I would be hammering with him side by side, getting splinters and into frustrating arguments (and we’re suppose to build a home together someday!). Anyhow, the spot we chose was an old concrete slab that existed as a foundation for a pig pen some years prior. It was amongst the bamboo forest behind our house so, the first project was to clear some land. The materials came from an old garage which we tore down in exchange for all the wood and old windows. The older Japanese man whose garage this was said that it had been there for some 80 years and that it could have also been built from reclaimed wood. We began to build…First the heavy, wood plank floors went in followed by the framing, walls, and roof which was reclaimed also from a roofing job up the street. The used windows still have the old hand blown glass which has that wavy look to it with bubbles in it. At this pint the structure looked dark and dingy, thus began the task of cheering it up!
TAKE THE TOUR
My studio is located above a creek which only flows during heavy rains. When it does I just love the sound of easy flowing water. Half of it lies under a gigantic avocado tree which drops melon size fruits like bombs onto my tin roof. Then of course there are the four swaying palm trees where the inspiration came for the name Palm Tree Princess.
It’s just a short walk from the house where you would find yourself on my cement threshold which has been inlaid with sea glass to read “E Komo Mai” (welcome in Hawiian). Along the way you may have spotted a hidden fairy or gnome hiding in the jungle. Open the (old closet) door (which has an old porcelain knob and skeleton keyhole lock) and you step inside of my oasis. It’s a place where no one has a say but me. For it is completely and totally my realm. It is a place where the monogram of my name and my name only can adorn the walls (with a crown on top!). You get the picture. Look to the right and you will see an old reclaimed bedside table which I have done a mosaic on from tiles I found that had washed ashore on an Italian coastline. Resting in this space is my self titled booked “Desiree” (because everyone should have some great historic novel with their name on it!). On this side of the studio is my day bed. Perfect for reading, contemplating, daydreaming, or just staring out the window which looks into our dense bamboo forest. It is also a great spot for a guest to spend the night (don’t look under the bed because I use it for storage). There are two bookshelves hovering over each side of the bed (which has too many pillows on it). One shelf is completely and only for my collection of fairy books. The other shelf has a mix of art and mermaid books. Which by the way I adore Mucha, Waterhouse, Maxfield Parrish, and Tadema to name a few. Next to the bed is another reclaimed piece of furniture, an old wooden pantry that I painted and now houses wooden bird house, my journal collection, miniatures, and more. The top of it is adorned with glass apothecary jars holding my seashell and sea glass collections (labeled by color, I am such a geek!). The other half of my studio consists of my main countertop workspace, my funky writing desk and chair, my grandmothers old Singer sewing machine and table, and a cool piece I picked up recently which swivels on wheels. One half of it is a desk and the other has drawers and shelves. Storage is key in a small workspace and so is designated spaces for each specific project. And, things on wheels are cool too. Hanging from my ceiling are an ever growing collection of paper lanterns in all colors and sizes. Some light up for a vivid nighttime atmosphere. I have a section on my wall with my fancy papers draped on rods like you would see them displayed in a paper store. Then there is also my ribbon collection which are on two rods as well above the window. I have also another reclaimed wooden cabinet which is home to odds and ends. Everything has a spot and most everything is labeled. That in a nutshell ladies and gentlemen is my studio. It truly is a dream come true.
At any given time my studio is a mess with projects! From painted onesies piling high for wholesale orders to some sewing job still laying out needing to be finished, something with paint on it drying over here and a tutu in the process over there, my space always is alive with creative jobs.
With Etsy being such a glorious place for so many artists, it would be such a great thing to see other creative work spaces. There should be some area to showcase this. I thought I’d make mine a listing to share with others. Maybe I can encourage others to do the same and open up their spaces of art for others to see. Whether it’s a nook in a kitchen or a separate barn turned into a dream studio, every artist deserves their own realm no matter how big or small to call their own and let their imagination and ideas soar.
THANKS FOR LOOKING!
Last week, two of my friends offered to take me on a tour of the jewels of Norfolk churches. Despite having lived in either north Suffolk or Norfolk most of my life, back in those days I had no idea about churches, nor half the villages where these jewels can be found, even existed.
First on the list was Salle.
It was a grim, wet and misty morning when Sarah and Richard picked me up at the Catholic Cathedral, and so we made our way against the rush hour traffic whilst Richard tried to keep the windscreen clear as my clothes dried out causing a slight fog in the car.
Ss Peter and Paul seems to be in the middle of nowhere, with just two other buildings keeping it company. Salle was clearly a rich parish back in the day, as it is a huge church, serving the village and the large country house, lost to view behind trees nearby.
It is a church that has something for everyone: font and cover, support arm for font cover, good glass, fine memorials, two hidden chapels, painted screens and carved bosses. And so much more beside.
Here is what my friend Simon has to say. He likes it too.
---------------------------------------------------
During their awesome reign over the other great teams of Europe in the 1970s and 1980s, Liverpool football club placed a huge sign in the changing room corridor, so that it was the last thing visiting teams saw before they walked out on to the pitch: This is ANFIELD, it warned. The name alone was enough to impress. Similarly, the cover of the guidebook here proclaims, in a single word, SALLE. Again, it suffices; the word, pronounced to rhyme with call, stands for the building. Perhaps only the name Blythburgh has the same power in all East Anglia.
St Peter and St Paul is big. This is accentuated by the way in which it stands almost alone in the barley fields, with only a couple of Victorian buildings and a cricket pitch for company. What an idyllic spot! And yet there is an urban quality to the building, as if this was some great city church in the middle of Norwich or Bristol. It went up in the course of the 15th century, a replacement for an earlier building on the same site, broadly contemporary with neighbouring Cawston. While Cawston was largely the work of a single family, here the building benefited from an accident of history; several very wealthy families owned manors and halls in the parish at the same time, and it so happened that the time was the greatest era of rural church building.
Among them were the Boleyns, the Brewes, the Mautebys, the Briggs, the Morleys, the Luces and the Kerdistons, and some of their shields appear above the great west door, along with two mighty censing angels, characteristic of late medieval piety. A steady stream of hefty bequests meant that no expense needed to be spared, and the mighty tower with its vast bell openings was topped with battlements and pinnacles on the very eve of the Reformation.
As at Blythburgh, St Peter and St Paul benefited from the restraint of a late restoration, and the building as we see it now has no external Victorian additions. It is all of a piece. The porches either side are huge affairs, matching the transepts, and give the effect of a vast animal, a dragon perhaps, sprawling with erect head in the Norfolk countryside. Its tail is the chancel, in itself longer and higher than many Norfolk churches. The aisles are tall, austere, parapeted, the Perpendicular windows arcades of glass. In the porches, the vaulted ceilings are studded with bosses; the central one in the north porch depicts Christ in Majesty, sitting on a rainbow in judgement.
You enter the building from the west, an unusual experience in East Anglia, and your first sight is of the seven sacraments font with its tall 15th century canopy, similar to the cover at Cawston. This one is so big it is supported by a crane attached to the ringing gallery under the tower.
The font below is interesting because each panel is supported by an angel holding a symbol of the sacrament above - a pot of chrism oil beneath Baptism, for example. The panels themselves are simply done, and are not particularly characterful, apart from the way that Mary turns away and is comforted at the Crucifixion. This panel faces west, and then anticlockwise are the Mass (viewed sideways, as at nearby Great Witchingham), Ordination (the candidate kneeling), Baptism (a server holds the book up for the Priest to read), Confirmation (the candidate obviously a child), Penance (perhaps the most interesting panel - the penitent kneels in a shriving pew), Matrimony (the couples' hands joined by a stole, she in late 15th century dress) and finally Last Rites (the dying man on the floor under blankets as at Great Witchingham).
You can see all these panels below - click on them to enlarge them. The font step has a dedicatory inscription to John and Agnes Luce, asking for prayers for their souls. We know that John died in 1489. Perhaps the actual fabric of the building was complete by this date.
Beyond the font stretches the vastness of the building, the arcades gathering the eyes and leading them forward to the great east window. The chancel arch is barely there at all, just a simple high opening; but as MR James pointed out, it was never intended to be seen.The sheer bulk of the rood screen dado tells us quite how vast the rood apparatus must have been here, and the arch would have been pretty well hidden. Everything is built to scale; although everything has been cut off above the panels, probably in the late 1540s, the panels themselves are enormous, almost six feet high. As at Cawston, St Gregory, St Jerome, St Ambrose and St Augustine, the four Doctors of the Church, are on the doors. Either side are just two surviving paintings; to the north are Thomas and James, to the south are Philip and Bartholomew. The empty panels are a mystery; the screen stood here for a century before its destruction, so it must have been finished; and the dado seems too high to have been hidden by nave altars. And yet, it has all the appearance of never having been painted.
Because the building is so vast, the surviving medieval glass seems scattered, but there is actually a lot of it and some of it is very significant. Some was moved during the restoration of the early 20th century, when the hideous modern glass in the north transept was installed, and the yellow galley lozenges were thankfully replaced with clear glass in the 1970s. The images in the east window are mainly figures; old kings kneel before young princes, there are armoured men and angels, the remains of a scaly dragon. In the centre at the bottom is a perfect Trinity shield, displayed by an angel looking askance.
Some of the panels are now in the south transept. These include fragments of a set of the orders of angels. A kneeling figure is Thomas Brigg, donor of the transept; the scroll behind him begins Benedicat Virgo, 'Blessed Virgin'. The mother of God sits surrounded by red glory, and two women holding croziers, one of them crowned, may be St Etheldreda and St Hilda. Certainly, the crowned figure holding a cross is St Helena. You can see all these above.
Despite the wonders of the font, the screen and the glass, the great glory of the building for me is the set of bosses that line the roof of the chancel. They are easily missed, being very high, and need a good lens; a couple of my photos did not come out as well as I'd hoped, and so I must go back, as if I needed an excuse. There are nine altogether, the first and last set against the walls at the ends of the roof ridge, and they form a kind of rosary sequence of joyful and glorious mysteries. They start with the Annunciation in the west (see left) and then continue with the Adoration of the Shepherds, the Adoration of the Magi, the Presentation in the Temple, the Entry into Jerusalem, the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection , and the Ascension into Heaven. You can see these last eight in John Salmon's splendid photographs below.
There is a fine set of return stalls in the chancel. Although Salle probably never had a college of Priests, all those Masses for the dead must have provided plenty of employment, because we know that there were seven Priests here at a time when the population of the parish was barely 200. Bench ends include heads, a dragon tied up in a knot, a restored pelican in her piety, and a monkey. The misericord seats feature faces, including one that is quite extraordinary.
Although the roof isn't up to the glory of neighbouring Cawston, it includes lots of original angels and paintwork, including sacred monograms, and around the wallplate part of the Te Deum Laudamus and psalm 150. These particular texts seem to have provided the inspiration for many late 15th century interiors; the angels in the roof, the animals on the bench ends, the Saints on the rood screen all in harmony: Let everything that has breath Praise ye the Lord! The benches are mostly renewed now, but the pulpit is an elegant example of the 15th century, from the time when a priority began to be placed on preaching.
Curiously, it has been rather awkwardly converted into a three-decker arrangement, probably in the 18th century, with the addition of a platform and desk from a set of box pews. A large sounding board has been placed overhead. The box pews suggest that the medieval furnishings were replaced at an early date, although the replacements too have gone now.
Salle is one of those churches full of intriguing little details that might easily pass you by, so great is the wonder of everything around. Those two little corbel heads above the south door, for instance - what were they for? Perhaps they supported an image that could be seen from the north doorway as people entered, although not a St Christopher as the guidebook suggests, I think. There is a pretty piscina in the unfortunate north transept that has been outlined in wood, a memorial and helm above, a tall image bracket in the corner of the wall of the south transept, a floreated piscina nearby.
There are many brasses and brass inlays in the nave floor; one of the most interesting is a chalice brass (although the chalice is now gone) to Simon Boleyn, a Priest, who died in 1489, and to the east of it a pair of brasses to Geoffrey and Alice Boleyn, great-grandparents to Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII. Another pair of brasses are to Thomas and Katherine Rose and their eight children. Unlike many churches, Salle actually retains some of the 'missing' brasses, now locked away for safety. It would be nice to think they could eventually be reset in the floor.
One part of the building that many visitors must miss is the chapel above the north porch. There is no sign indicating it; but the doorway, at the west end of the north aisle, is always open. Inside, the vaulted roof is punctuated by spectacularly pretty bosses which you can view at close quarters. The colour is a bit fanciful, but they are fascinating, particularly the central boss of the Coronation of the Queen of Heaven - how on earth did that survive the Reformation?
This is a tremendous building, a box of fascinating delights. What purpose does it serve now? As I said in the introduction, its size was not in response to the needs of a congregation, and as far as worship is concerned it will never be full. It remains constantly in use, however; for regular services in the chancel, sometimes for concerts and recordings, but also of course for the poshest sort of wedding, the kind only the Church of England can provide, and no doubt other elements of the core business of CofE PLC. It is easy to be cynical, but if they ensure the survival of the building, then so be it.
Simon Knott, June 2004
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Brand new base-model Mahindra XUV700 offered by Mahindra Wayville on display at Westfield Marion, Oaklands Park SA.
I quite like the new XUV700, in person I would say it's about the size of a T33 X-Trail. There are some similar design cues to cars of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance such as the C-shaped headlights similar to the outgoing HZG Koleos and the tailgate portion of the taillight clusters resemble the new T33 X-Trail.
But there is nothing wrong with these similarities, they tie in good with all the cues of the XUV700.
In the daytime, there were salesmen presenting this car I think (but they also could have been for the Suzuki and jet-ski giveaway on the other side, I couldn't quite see from where I was) and while I was there photographing it around 6:40PM ACST after the salesmen had gone home, there were still a fair number of people checking it out.
I hope the Mahindra XUV700 finds ground in Australia. If supply is good, it is received well and more urban dealerships open, then there shouldn't be a problem. Priced from $36,990 Driveaway at the moment, it undercuts cars such as the Nissan X-Trail ST (from $40,460 D/A), Mitsubishi Outlander ES (from $41,380 D/A in NSW) and Toyota Rav4 GX (from $42,200 D/A in Sydney NSW) if you manage to secure one that is!
While it doesn't beat the MG HS (from $32,990 D/A), it does definitely give it some cheaper competition, and I tell you what, I would take the Mahindra any day over the MG. I just do not like what the MG brand has been turned into.
Year: 2023
Series: No Series
Engine: 2.0L 4 Cylinder Turbo Intercooled
Transmission: 6 Speed Automatic
Fuel: Unleaded Petrol
Drive: Front Wheel Drive
Colour: Dazzling Silver
Plate Number: Unregistered
Date Registered: N/A
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This primitive campground and day use area offers a scenic view of the San Francisco Peaks in the cool aspen trees that surround Lockett Meadow. This is a terrific campground for those who cherish a real mountain camping experience and love to hike wilderness trails. There is a small day use area, making this a beautiful place to have a picnic and enjoy the meadow and Peaks views.
The Inner Basin Trail ascends from Lockett Meadow into the caldera of the San Francisco Peaks, an extinct volcano and home of the tallest peaks in Arizona. The first 1.7 miles of the trail winds through the extensive aspen forest flanking the upper reaches of the Peaks, joining the Waterline Trail briefly before following a jeep road into the caldera. The trail starts at an elevation of 8665 feet, gaining approximately 1200 feet over 2 miles on its way into the Inner Basin. The trail continues another 2 miles, gaining an additional 600 feet or so to join up with the Weatherford Trail.
Photo by Deborah Lee Soltesz, September 28, 2015. Source: U.S. Forest Service, Coconino National Forest. See Lockett Meadow Campground and Inner Basin No. 29 for information about this area of the Peaks on the Coconino National Forest website.
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Stagecoach offer a number of differing services between Nuneaton and Coventry, two such services illustrated here.
A) 26218 is a relatively new addition to the fleet which runs on the 48 every 10 minutes pretty direct via Bedworth and Foleshill Road.
B) 39693 is on the twice hourly 56. Interestingly, the service isn't evenly spaced, with gaps of 24 and 36 minutes each hour!! The service runs a slightly longer way round, running via Attleborough and Bulkington between Nuneaton and Bedworth, and then via Ash Green between Bedworth and Coventry.
Belgian postcard offered by Korès Carboplane, no. 101. Photo: Universal International.
Rita Gam (1927-2016) was an American film and television actress and documentary filmmaker. She was nominated for a Golden Globe and won the Silver Bear for Best Actress.
Rita Gam was born in 1927. Her acting career began on Broadway and in television, after which she moved on to films. She first appeared in the film noir The Thief (Russell Rouse. 1952), which starred Ray Milland. She was nominated for a Golden Globe as Most Promising Newcomer. Another interesting film noir was Night People (Nunnally Johnson, 1954) with Gregory Peck. She was a bridesmaid at her good friend Grace Kelly's wedding to Prince Rainier of Monaco. In Italy, she starred opposite Alberto Sordi in the comedy Costa Azzurra (Vittorio Sala, 1959) and she was the leading lady of the Peplum Annibale/Hannibal (Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia, Edgar G. Ulmer, 1959) featuring Victor Mature.
Rita Gam had another notable role as Herodias in King of Kings (Nicholas Ray, 1961) about the life of Christ. She shared the Silver Bear for Best Actress award with Viveca Lindfors at the 1962 Berlin Film Festival, for their performances in No Exit (Tad Danielewski, Orson Welles (uncredited), 1962), based on the play by Jean-Paul Sartre. Later she appeared in small parts in films like Klute (Alan J. Pakula, 1971), before taking up documentary filmmaking. She was married to Thomas Henry Guinzburg, Jr. and director Sidney Lumet. Rita Gam died in 2016 of respiratory failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. She was married to director Sidney Lumet and to Thomas Henry Guinzburg, Jr., the first managing editor of The Paris Review and president of Viking Press. Survivors include her daughter, film producer Kate Guinzburg, her son, novelist Michael Guinzburg; and granddaughters Michelle, Olivia and Louisa. Rita Gam was 88.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Wikipedia and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.
Kerala is blessed with backwaters..
This one from Vadakkekkara, North Paravoor..
Woke up early..and how much worth it was !!
Click to view in Large..
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Namibia offers spectacular landscapes. Incredible sunrises and sunsets. Amazing starry nights with no lights to disturb you. There are no words to express the emotions that overwhelm you. You can only experience it first hand.
Namibia ofrece espectaculares paisajes. Increibles amaneceres y ocasos. Alucinantes noches estrelladas sin luces que molesten. No hay palabras para expresar las emociones que te embargan. Solo se puede vivir en primera persona.
Cavendish Mews is a smart set of flats in Mayfair where flapper and modern woman, the Honourable Lettice Chetwynd has set up home after coming of age and gaining her allowance. To supplement her already generous allowance, and to break away from dependence upon her family, Lettice has established herself as a society interior designer, so her flat is decorated with a mixture of elegant antique Georgian pieces and modern Art Deco furnishings, using it as a showroom for what she can offer to her well heeled clients.
Today however, we are beneath the streets, pavements and private squares of Mayfair in the brightly lit London Underground railway station of Down Street*, with its white and green tiled walls, decorated with advertisements and maps of the London Underground. It is here on a wooden bench that they share with a rather dowdy and overweight matron that Edith, Lettice’s maid, and her best friend and fellow maid, Hilda, await the next train to take them down the Piccadilly line to Leicester Square along with a smattering of other passengers milling around the railway station with their luggage. Hilda works as a live-in maid just around the corner from Cavendish Mews in Hill Street for Lettice’s married friends, Margot and Dickie Channon. However, Edith and Hilda met one another at their previous employer, Mrs. Plaistow’s, Pimlico townhouse where the two shared a cold and uncomfortable attic bedroom. In spite of the fact that they are both working for different people now, the girls remain the very best of friends, and catch up frequently.
It is Wednesday, and both Edith and Hilda have Wednesday afternoons off. They usually do something together on their midweek afternoons off, like go shopping for haberdashery, take refreshments in a respectable and reasonably priced tea room, or on warm spring days like today, visit a public park and just chat, enjoying one another’s company. Yet today, although they are both destined for Leicester Square Railway Station, they are going in separate directions. Edith has been invited by her beau, Frank Leadbetter, local delivery boy for Mr. Willison’s Grocery in Binney Street, Mayfair, to join him for a special surprise of some kind at Clapham Junction where she has agreed to meet him.
“So where do you think you’re going, then, Edith?” Hilda asks with keen and inquisitive eyes as she sits on the wooden bench next to her best friend. She nudges her lightly with her elbow and smiles conspiratorially. “What’s the surprise?”
“At first I thought we might be going to Clapham Common** for a picnic.” Edith replies a little uncertainly.
“But now you’re unsure.” Hilda remarks, completing Edith’s unspoken thought.
“I am, Hilda.”
“Why? What makes you think otherwise?”
“Well, for a start, what do I have with me to carry?” Edith asks.
Hilda glances down at Edith’s lap where her usual green leather handbag nestles comfortably across her neat black skirt, whilst in Edith’s net lace gloved left hand she holds her usual, battered black umbrella that has probably seen one too many London winter rainstorms. Her face crumples.
“Exactly!” Edith opines. “No picnic basket, no ribbon sandwiches and no thermos*** of tea.”
“Frank could be providing them, Edith.” Hilda ventures.
Edith snorts derisively. “I doubt that very much! Frank’s a good man, but he certainly doesn’t know how to cook, and from everything he tells me about his landlady and her daughter, I doubt either of them would be charitable enough to make him a picnic lunch.” She screws up her nose at the thought. “And even if they did, I somehow don’t think I’d fancy whatever they would have as their picnic fare.”
“Remember when we came back from our overnight visit to Manchester, and he brought us some tea and oranges?”
“Oh, I know Frank can make tea, but a couple of discarded oranges from Mr. Willison’s is hardly a picnic lunch.”
“Ahem!” The older woman on the bench next to them clears her throat noisily causing both maid to glance at her.
Taking up more than her fair share of the wooden railway bench, the portly woman with a rather disapproving jowly face is squeezed into a dark coat that is firstly too small for her, judging by the gapes in the fabric between the buttons, and secondly is unseasonal for the warm May weather, as is her matching black cloche hat. Her knitting needles clack noisily as she makes something in mustard yellow. At her feet rests her beaded handbag and a basket full of groceries. The girls glance at one another and wonder whether she is a customer of Mr. Willison’s Grocery in Binney Street where Frank works and where their mistress’ both have accounts. Hilda nods shallowly at Edith who returns her nod: their silent agreement not to mention Mr. Willison’s establishment in earshot of this woman again, who may well be the cook or maid of one of his customers. The last thing either girl wants is for Frank to get into trouble, or worse yet lose his position as delivery boy and sometimes window dresser. Whilst the oranges that they ate that day were sweet and juicy, Edith cannot guarantee that Frank actually bought them for she and Hilda. He may have taken a few that were not suitable for sale in the shop and sat in the back room. That might make them fair game for Frank, but Mr. Willison would doubtless have other ideas.
“And anyway,” Edith goes on. “Frank asked me to wear my good white blouse with the Peter Pan collar*** and the mother-of-pearl buttons. It’s not exactly picnic wear, Hilda.”
“There’s nothing wrong with dressing up for a picnic, Edith.”
“I know there isn’t, but the fact that Frank asked me to wear it specifically, and he knows it is a blouse I reserve for more special occasions, suggests that we’re not going on a picnic.”
“Well, perhaps it’s another kind of special occasion.” Hilda offers. “Hasn’t he told us before that he has a friend who runs a restaurant?” She ponders for a moment, ruminating. “Yes, an Italian restaurant as I recall!”
“Yes, that’s his friend Giuseppe,” Edith concurs. “But he has a restaurant up the Islington*****, not in Clapham Junction.”
“And you don’t think his landlady would host a lunch for you in her front parlour, Edith? Some landladies do, you know.”
“Not Mrs. Chapman!” Edith scoffs dismissively. “From everything Frank has told me about her, she’s a real tartar******, and she wouldn’t countenance any female guests of her lodgers in her front room.”
“Ahem!” the old woman next to Hilda clears her throat again, this time glancing up from her gnashing stitches, looking critically at Hilda and Edith over the tops of her horn-rimmed spectacles before returning her attentions to her knitting with a tight and disapproving pout.
Edith and Hilda roll their eyes at one another.
“Well maybe it’s another restaurant he wants to take you to, then, Edith.” Hilda suggests. “Clapham Junction has some lovely shops, like Arding and Hobbs*******, so there are bound to be some nice restaurants and tea rooms up Lavender Hill********.”
“Maybe.” Edith muses. “I can’t think what else we could be doing. However liberated Frank might be in his thinking, I can’t see he and I walking through Arding and Hobbs together whilst I buy thread and trims.” She giggles.
Hilda joins her friend, chuckling lightly as well at the thought of Frank going around the drapery store. “Perhaps not, Edith.” She laughs a little more before adding, “Maybe he’s going to take you shopping for a wedding ring, finally. There are lots of jewellers along Lavender Hill too.”
Edith pulls a face. “Oh, I very much doubt that! The last time we looked at jewellery in the window of Schwar’s********* up the Elephant********** we had the fiercest row over wedding rings.”
“Well, didn’t your…” Hilda pauses mid-sentence and quickly glances at the disapproving matron with her deeply set frown as she knits intensely, before lowering her voice slightly. “Your Madam Fortune…”
“Madame Fortuna.” Edith corrects her friend politely.
“Madame Fortuna. Well, didn’t she tell you that Frank was going to pop the question soon?”
“Hilda Clerkenwell!” Edith gasps in a mixture of surprise and incredulity, her eyes widening as she does. “You told me that you don’t believe in all that ‘mumbo-jumbo fortune telling’!”
“Well, I don’t.” Hilda defends. “I believe in cold hard facts, but you obviously do believe all that mumbo-jumbo if you went to see her.” She shakes her head at her friend in mild disapproval. “Didn’t you tell me that she’d said he would propose soon.”
“Before the year was out, was what she said.”
“Humph!” Hilda snorts. “Suitably vague for a charlatan.”
“Madame Fortuna was not a charlatan!” Edith hotly defends Mrs. Fenchurch, the ‘discreet clairvoyant’ in Swiss Cottage*********** with whom she corresponded via Box Z 1245, The Times, E.C.4., and finally went to see a few weeks ago.
“So you say.” Hilda mumbles self-righteously.
“Anyway, we’re only in May. Why should it be today?”
“Why shouldn’t it be?” Hilda eyes her friend suspiciously before adding, “You’ve changed your tune, Edith. Whatever is the matter?”
“Oh nothing.” Edith flaps her hand dismissively at Hilda. “I just…” She sighs heavily. “I just don’t want to get my hopes up.” She glances guiltily into her friend’s pudgy, concerned face. “I was for a while. After Frank and I spoke about getting married, I kept hoping he’d ask me whenever we went to the Premier in East Ham************ to watch a moving picture, or when we would go dancing at the Hammersmith Palais*************, but I’ve been waiting in vain. It’s disappointing.”
“Oh, I’m sure it is, Edith!”
“So, I just try to temper my wishes and stop getting my hopes up. I only get hurt when he doesn’t.”
“But he will, Edith.” Hilda assures her friend, reaching out her hands and squeezing Edith’s comfortingly. “I know he will!”
“How do you know, Hilda.”
“I told you, Edith. I’m a firm believer in cold, hard facts. And one thing I know for certain fact is that Frank is every bit as mad for you as you are for him. He’ll propose soon enough, and that’s a fact too.” Hilda nods seriously. “You mark my words, rather than Madame Fortuna’s.”
“Do you know what’s going on?” Edith gasps. “Has Frank said anything to you about today when he was delivering groceries to you?”
“Goodness me, no!” Hilda retorts quickly. “If I knew what you were doing today, why on earth would I ask you?”
“It could be part of some elaborate ruse.” Edith cannot help but betray the hope that today might be the day that Frank proposes as it causes her bright blue eyes to sparkle a little more and for a smile to tease the corners of her mouth as a flush fills her cheeks.
Hilda shakes her head again. “You’ve been reading too many of those Madeline St John romance novels, Edith! The world isn’t made up of sweeping, grandiose admissions of love: especially not now, with a dearth of young men after the war took so many of them away.”
“No. No, of course not! How foolish of me.” Edith replies, guilt filling her face as she remembers how her friend has no young man at all to step out with in her life. “Forgive me Hilda. I’m so thoughtless.”
“No you aren’t, Edith.” Hilda replies kindly with a dismissive wave of her own. “You’re just anxious, and wound up with the idea of getting married is all. Who wouldn’t be? I’d be the same if I were in your shoes.”
“No, I should be more considerate of your situation, Hilda.”
“Oh, you don’t have to tread around on eggshells************** on my account, Edith. I’m fine.”
“I don’t suppose you’ve met a nice young man, have you?”
“Pshaw!” Hilda mutters dismissively. “I haven’t even met a not-so-nice young man.”
Hilda gives her friend a doubtful look, and they both laugh good-naturedly, but their laughter is tinged with a little sadness. Edith still hopes that her best friend will one day meet a young man, or even an older one, who will meet her desires for an intelligent match, and form a loving relationship with him.
“Hasn’t Mrs. Minkin tried to match you up with a young man of her acquaintance?” Edith asks, referring to the old Jewess whom both she and Hilda visit when they shop of haberdashery in Whitechapel, and whose knitting circle Hilda has joined.
“It’s a bit hard when you aren’t Jewish.” Hilda remarks with a tone of despondence. “I’m one of the few women there who isn’t. Rachel Katz has a rather serious and studious elder brother who is unmarried, but their mother would never consider someone who wasn’t of their faith for him.”
“Oh, what a pity, Hilda.” Edith consoles her friend.
“It’s not a pity at all.” Hilda giggles in reply, surprising Edith.
“It isn’t?” Edith queries with a perplexed look.
“I’ve never met him, so he could be ugly, or beastly, or both, or simply not to my liking!” Hilda says matter-of-factly. “I’d rather be a spinster than marry a man I don’t love. I don’t understand how some women can do that.”
“Oh, I agree, Hilda!” Edith replies eagerly. “Don’t get married until you find the one, and yes, marry for love and nothing less.”
“Like you are with Frank.”
Edith smiles at her friend. “Don’t worry Hilda. Your Frank is out there somewhere.”
“Well, I just wish he’d bloody well hurry up and find me!” Hilda replies with a cheeky smile.
Both girls take a sideways glance at the matron on the bench next to them.
“Ahem!” she clears her throat loudly, pointedly expressing her disapproval of Hilda’s choice to swear, and her knitting becomes more fervent as she refuses to look at either Hilda or Edith, the furrows in her brow growing deeper and the scowl on her face becoming more pronounced.
“So where are you going to go then, whilst, I am going to my as of yet unknown destination with Frank in Clapham Junction, Hilda?” Edith asks. “The sales perhaps?”
“Good heavens no! I only just tolerate the department stores when I’m with you, Edith.” Hilda retorts. “No, I have a far more enticing assignation.”
“Assignation!” Edith gasps. “With whom? You just said you weren’t stepping out with anyone!”
“I’m not!” Hilda laughs. “I’m going to the British Museum*************** to see the Rosetta Stone**************** since it seems the whole of London has been gripped by Tutmania****************. I’ve never seen it, and now, I want to.”
Just at that moment with the thunder and rattle of its engine and the squeal of breaks, the Piccadilly line train with its brown painted carriages noisily enters Down Street railway station before coming to a juddering halt.
Edith, Hilda and the plump, grumpy matron in the undersized coat and cloche join the small number of other passengers boarding the train.
“I hope she isn’t going to the British Museum too.” Hilda remarks, nodding at the elderly lady as she waddles away from the two maids with her heavy basket of groceries in one hand and her blue beaded handbag with her knitting needles sticking out of it in the other, determined to sit in a different carriage to them.
“She looks more like she’ll come to Clapham Junction with me!” Edith giggles. “Let’s hope not. Come on.”
The two girls nimbly step aboard the carriage directly in front of them as the engine gently idles beneath them, making it thrum with a soothing vibration. Closing the door behind them, the guard at the end of the train blows his whistle shrilly, and as Edith and Hilda take two seats, the train jerks and commences the journey on to Dover Street railway station, Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square as the pair head off on their Wednesday afternoon adventures.
*Down Street, is a disused station on the London Underground, located in Mayfair. The Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway opened it in 1907. It was latterly served by the Piccadilly line and was situated between Dover Street (now named Green Park) and Hyde Park Corner stations. The station was little used; many trains passed through without stopping. Lack of patronage and proximity to other stations led to its closure in 1932. During the Second World War it was used as a bunker by the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, and the war cabinet. The station building survives and is close to Down Street's junction with Piccadilly.
**At over eighty-five hectares in size, Clapham Common is one of London’s largest, and oldest, public open spaces, situated between Clapham, Battersea and Balham. Clapham Common is mentioned as far back as 1086 in the famous Domesday Book, and was originally ‘common land’ for the Manors of Battersea and Clapham. Tenants of the Lords of the Manors, could graze their livestock, collect firewood or dig for clay and other minerals found on site. However, as a result of increasing threats from encroaching roads and housing developments, it was acquired in 1877 by the Metropolitan Board of Works, and designated a “Metropolitan Common”, which gives it protection from loss to development and preserves its open character.
***When we think of thermos flasks these days we are often reminded of the plaid and gawdy floral varieties that existed in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Invented in 1892 by Sir James Dewar, a scientist at Oxford University, the "vacuum flask" was not manufactured for commercial use until 1904, when two German glass blowers formed Thermos GmbH. They held a contest to name the "vacuum flask" and a resident of Munich submitted "Thermos", which came from the Greek word "Therme" meaning "hot". In 1907, Thermos GmbH sold the Thermos trademark rights to three independent companies: The American Thermos Bottle Company of Brooklyn, New York; Thermos Limited of Tottenham, England; Canadian Thermos Bottle Co. Ltd. of Montreal, Canada. The three Thermos companies operated independently of each other, yet developed the Thermos vacuum flask into a widely sought after product that was taken on many famous expeditions, including: Schackelton\'s trip to the South Pole; Lieutenant Robert E. Peary\'s trip to the Arctic; Colonel Roosevelt\'s expedition to Mombassa and into the heart of the African Congo with Richard Harding Davis. It even became airborne when the Wright Brothers took it up in their airplane and Count Zepplin carried it up in his air balloon.
****A Peter Pan collar is a style of clothing collar, flat in design with rounded corners. It is named after the collar of Maude Adams's costume in her 1905 role as Peter Pan, although similar styles had been worn before this date. Peter Pan collars were particularly fashionable during the 1920s and 1930s.
*****The Italian quarter of London, known commonly today as “Little Italy” is an Italian ethnic enclave in London. Little Italy’s core historical borders are usually placed at Clerkenwell Road, Farringdon Road and Rosebery Avenue - the Saffron Hill area of Clerkenwell. Clerkenwell spans Camden Borough and Islington Borough. Saffron Hill and St. Peter’s Italian Catholic Church fall within the Camden side. However, even though this was the traditional enclave for Italians, immigrants moved elsewhere in London, bleeding into areas like Islington and Soho where they established bars, cafes and restaurants which sold Italian cuisine and wines.
******A tartar is a bad-tempered or aggressively assertive person, typically a woman, and is based upon the hard crust of calcium salts and food particles on the teeth which is known as tartar.
*******Arding and Hobbs was established in 1876. A second store was established on the corner of Falcon Road, Battersea, known as the Falcon Road Drapery Store, but this was sold to former employees Mr. Hunt & Mr. Cole in 1894. The original building was destroyed by a fire on 20 December 1909. The present building at the junction of Lavender Hill and St John's Road in Battersea was constructed in 1910 in an Edwardian Baroque style, and the architect was James Gibson. The department store was sold to the John Anstiss Group in 1938, however, John Anstiss was purchased by United Drapery Stores in 1948. The store was added to the Allders group in the 1970s and continued to operate until Allders went into administration in 2005. The building was subsequently broken up and sold, with the building split between a branch of Debenhams department store and TK Maxx retail.
********Lavender Hill is a bustling high street serving residents of Clapham Junction, Battersea and beyond. Until the mid Nineteenth Century, Battersea was predominantly a rural area with lavender and asparagus crops cultivated in local market gardens. Hence, it’s widely thought that Lavender Hill was named after Lavender Hall, built in the late Eighteenth Century, where lavender grew on the north side of the hill.
*********Established in 1838 by Andreas Schwar who was a clock and watch maker from Baden in Germany, Schwar and Company on Walworth Road in Elephant and Castle was a watchmaker and jewellers that is still a stalwart of the area today. The shop still retains its original Victorian shopfront with its rounded plate glass windows.
**********The London suburb of Elephant and Castle, south of the Thames, past Lambeth was known as "the Piccadilly Circus of South London" because it was such a busy shopping precinct. When you went shopping there, it was commonly referred to by Londoners, but South Londoners in particular, as “going up the Elephant”.
***********According to the Dictionary of London Place Names, the district of Swiss Cottage is named after an inn called The Swiss Tavern that was built in 1804 in the style of a Swiss chalet on the site of a former tollgate keeper's cottage, and later renamed Swiss Inn and in the early 20th century Swiss Cottage.
************The Premier Super Cinema in East Ham was opened on the 12th of March, 1921, replacing the 800 seat capacity 1912 Premier Electric Theatre. The new cinema could seat 2,408 patrons. The Premier Super Cinema was taken over by Provincial Cinematograph Theatres who were taken over by Gaumont British in February 1929. It was renamed the Gaumont from 21st April 1952. The Gaumont was closed by the Rank Organisation on 6th April 1963. After that it became a bingo hall and remained so until 2005. Despite attempts to have it listed as a historic building due to its relatively intact 1921 interior, the Gaumont was demolished in 2009.
*************The Hammersmith Palais de Danse, in its last years simply named Hammersmith Palais, was a dance hall and entertainment venue in Hammersmith, London, England that operated from 1919 until 2007. It was the first palais de danse to be built in Britain.
**************The idiom "walk on eggshells" meaning to be extremely cautious or careful, likely originated from the imagery of eggshells being fragile and easily broken when stepped on. The original, Eighteenth Century version was to “tread on eggs,” which the Oxford English Dictionary defines as “to walk warily, as on delicate ground.” The only two citations for the whole-egg version in the Oxford English Dictionary are from the same author, Roger North, and appear in biographical works he published around 1734.
***************The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human culture from its beginnings to the present. Established in 1753, the British Museum was the first public national museum.
****************The Rosetta Stone is a stele of granodiorite inscribed with three versions of a decree issued in 196 BC during the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt, on behalf of King Ptolemy V Epiphanes. The top and middle texts are in Ancient Egyptian using hieroglyphic and Demotic scripts, respectively, while the bottom is in Ancient Greek. The decree has only minor differences across the three versions, making the Rosetta Stone key to deciphering the Egyptian scripts.
*****************"Tutmania" refers to the widespread global fascination and cultural impact that followed the discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922, sparking a surge in interest in ancient Egypt and its artifacts over the next few years.
This London Underground scene may look like one you could just walk into and sit down in, but it is not all that it seems, for it is in fact made up entirely with pieces from my 1:12 miniatures collection.
Fun thing to look for in this tableau include:
The travel advertisement, sale advert and London Underground map along the tiled wall are all 1:12 size posters made by the British miniature artisan Ken Blythe. Ken is known mostly for the 1:12 miniature books he created. I have quite a large representation of Ken Blythe’s work in my collection, but he also produced other items, including posters. All of these are genuine copies of real inter-war Art Deco travel posters put out by the different British railways to promote travelling on them. To create something so authentic to the original in such detail and so clearly, really does make these items miniature artisan pieces. Ken Blythe’s work is highly sought after by miniaturists around the world today and command high prices at auction for such tiny pieces, particularly now that he is no longer alive. I was fortunate enough to acquire pieces from Ken Blythe prior to his death about four years ago, as well as through his estate via his daughter and son-in-law. His legacy will live on with me and in my photography which I hope will please his daughter.
Edith’s green handbag and Hilda’s brown one are handmade from soft leather is part of a larger collection of hats and bags that I bought from an American miniature collector Marilyn Bickel.
The black umbrella came from an online stockist of 1:12 miniatures on E-Bay.
The basket I acquired from beautifully Handmade Miniatures in Kettering. In the basket are some very lifelike looking fruit and vegetables. The apples are made of polymer clay are made by a 1:12 miniature specialist in Germany. The leaves of lettuce are artisan made of very thin sheets of clay and are beautifully detailed. I acquired them from an auction house some twenty years ago as part of a lot made up of miniature artisan food. There are also several jars, one of Silver Shred Marmalade and one of P.C. Flett & Co Plum Jam, and a box of Hudson’s Soap, all made by Little Things Dollhouse Miniatures in Lancashire, with great attention to detail paid to their labels and the shapes of their jars.
Silver Shred lime marmalade still exists today and is a common household brand both in Britain and Australia. They are produced by Robertson’s. Robertson’s Golden Shred recipe perfected since 1874 is a clear and tangy orange marmalade, which according to their modern day jars is “perfect for Paddington’s marmalade sandwiches”. Robertson’s Silver Shred is a clear, tangy, lemon flavoured shredded marmalade. Robertson’s marmalade dates back to 1874 when Mrs. Robertson started making marmalade in the family grocery shop in Paisley, Scotland.
P.C. Flett and Company was established in Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands by Peter Copeland Flett. He had inherited a small family owned ironmongers in Albert Street Kirkwall, which he inherited from his maternal family. He had a shed in the back of the shop where he made ginger ale, lemonade, jams and preserves from local produce. By the 1920s they had an office in Liverpool, and travelling representatives selling jams and preserves around Great Britain. I am not sure when the business ceased trading.
Robert Spear Hudson invented the first dry soap powder, "Hudson's Dry Soap" in 1837 in his small pharmacy in West Bromwich, England, moving to Liverpool in the 1880s. He advertised extensively, first locally and then nationally, as his business and use of his products grew. The firm was taken over by Lever Brothers Ltd. (now part of Unilever) in 1908. The soap's use for cleaning the nursery floor (leaving the room "sweetened and purified"), baths, feeding bottles and on linen is boasted about on some small boxes on the reverse.
The beaded handbag is also a 1:12 artisan miniature. Hand crocheted, it is interwoven with antique blue glass beads that are two millimetres in diameter. The beads of the handle are three millimetres in length.
All the luggage you see on the platform are artisan pieces made by different unknown artists. All of them I acquired from Kathleen Knight’s Doll’s House Shop in the United kingdom. The fawn coloured parasol and Mary Poppins style parrot head umbrella are also artisan miniatures and were acquired from Kathleen Knight’s Doll’s House Shop as was the knitting which sits on the bench. The silver knobbed walking stick is also a 1:12 artisan miniature. The top is sterling silver. It was made by the Little Green Workshop in England who specialise in high end, high quality miniatures.
The bench is made by Town Hall Miniatures, and acquired through E-Bay.
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Officially, Rolls Royce Silver Shadows were never offered in an estate version, but it has become a popular trait to convert them to such, largely to exploit the advantages of extra boot space and a rear hatch.
I give you the car that took Rolls Royce out of the hands of the aristocracy and placed it into the hands of the people, a tradition that has continued ever since. Once rock-stars, pop-stars, TV presenters and alike were seen driving around in a car that was once the exclusive pride and joy of the established gentry, it was then and there that the Class System had truly disintegrated. The Victorian-era divisions of society were well and truly dead.
In 1965 it was apparent that the nearly 10 year old Silver Cloud was starting to look its age, and as time continued to crawl on the aristocratic look of the Rolls Royce was no longer its biggest selling point. Prior to the 1960's society was clearly defined, with what was known as the 'Glass Ceiling' through which none of the lower classes could rise up through the ranks. It was very easy for the Upper Class and Aristocracy to lose their titles and come down, but even if you were a Lower Class person who'd made it rich, you'd still be socially unacceptable due to your background. However, after World War I the emergence of the new Middle Class was starting to bend the rules, and as time went on the ways in which money could be obtained started to become easier thanks to stage and screen. After World War II the influence of the new generation distorted the lines of society even more with the appearance of the Beatles and Elvis Presley, people from low backgrounds who had managed to get a free ticket to the top due to their fame in the music industry. Of course when someone gets money, the first thing they want to do is spend it on luxury items, and nothing back then was more luxury than owning a Rolls Royce.
However, when the Cloud was designed society was still very much in the same Victorian ideal as before, and so its aristocratic look was about as hip and with-it as a China Cabinet in a Discotheque. In order to survive, Rolls Royce was going to have to adapt, so in 1965 they launched the Silver Shadow, a car that was designed for the new money, and the first Roller to be brought to the masses. What made it so appealing was a case of many things.
For starters, it was the first Rolls Royce to be a 'Driver's' car. Previous models had always been built with chauffeur driven passengers in mind, but the Shadow with upgraded suspension, an updated Rolls Royce V8 engine and the same general driving feel of a regular car (if not better with innovative power steering), made it ideal for the 'posers' of the upmarket realm. Secondly, the car was the first to be built with a monocoque, where the body and chassis are part of the same structure. Previously, Rolls Royce would provide the owner with a chassis, and then it was up to the owner what body would be put on it, with a variety of coachbuilders available to do the job including H.J Muliner Park Ward, Hoopers of London and James Young. The advent of the monocoque meant that potential buyers didn't have to go through the rigmarole of buying a chassis and then having a body constructed for it at extra cost.
As mentioned though, reception was something of a mixed bag, whilst motoring press and many people gave it critical acclaim for its revolutionary design, the usual Rolls Royce customer base saw it as something of a mongrel, appealing to the lowest common denominator rather than holding up the traditional standard that the Double R was famed for. But just because it was built for the masses didn't make it any less a car, each individual Shadow cost £7,000 new, weighed 2.2 tonnes and took 3 months to build. The interior was compiled of 12 square feet of wood, and three cows had to sacrifice themselves to create the leather hides that line the seats. Soft and springy Wilton Carpets made up the floor and power from Rolls Royce's astounding V8 engine could whisk the car to about 100mph, but why would you want a sporty Rolls Royce anyway? *Cough* Rolls Royce Wraith *Cough*
After launch the Silver Shadow was whipped up by pretty much anyone and everyone who wanted to show off their wealth, with a total of 25,000 examples being built during its 15 year production life, making it the most numerous Rolls Royce ever built. The Silver Shadow also formed the basis of several other designs, including the convertible Rolls Royce Silver Shadow 2-Door Saloon which later became the Corniche in 1971, the Bentley T-Series which was exactly the same only with Bentley badge and grille, and the controversial Rolls Royce Camargue of 1975 which was designed by Pininfarina.
For a time the Shadow was on top of the world, but things started to crumble fast in the 1970's. New American legislation meant that the car had to conform at the cost of its class, with the chrome bumpers being replaced by composite or rubber, and the ditch lights being slumped underneath on a rather unsightly chin-spoiler. In 1977 this revised car was launched as the Silver Shadow II, which I consider to be but a shadow of its former self due to the fact that this was when Rolls Royce started to become downplayed and underwhelming. Indeed the best intentions were in mind with safety, but without the chrome to adorn its lovely body, the Shadow was merely a husk.
This was added to by the fuel crisis of the mid-1970's, which made motoring a very expensive practice, especially if you ran a Shadow. Shadow's are incredible gas guzzlers at less than 20MPG, and refilling one will set you back in today's money about £80. At the same time it was considered socially unacceptable to be seen driving around in one of these after such a blow, almost as if you were driving a giant middle-finger down the street to everyone else who couldn't afford to drive. Because of this, owners turned to more subtle cars such as Mercedes so as not to fall victim to vindictive passers by. With sales starting to drop, Rolls Royce had to see off the Silver Shadow as soon as possible. After nearly 10 years of development, 1980 saw the launch of the much more angular and somewhat mundane Silver Spirit/Spur range, and with that now on the go the shadows grew long for the Silver Shadow, which was killed off the same year. Spiritually however, the design of the 60's lived on in the Corniche, which was to be built for another 15 years before that too was ended in 1995.
In some ways the Shadow became a failure of its own success, with Rolls Royce building far too many cars for the market that intended to buy them, with the result that the 2nd hand market became saturated with nearly new cars that fell into some disreputable company. Throughout the 1980's the Shadow was noted for being the ride of sleazy salesmen, gang lords and Members of Parliament (pure evil!). Additionally, many Shadows were bought cheap simply for the way they made the owner look.
If you were intending to use your cheapy Shadow to plunder yourself some girls and didn't have the attraction of money to back you up, you'd be out of luck and soon out of cash, because the bills required to run a hand-built luxury car would very quickly be walking through the door, both in terms of fuel and maintenance. Critical failures are rare and these cars are very reliable (although Jeremy Clarkson would have you think otherwise), but when they do happen, it would probably be cheaper to buy yourself another car. The worst problem you could face is a failure of the hydraulics that controlled the rear suspension, the steering and the brakes, which would render the car inoperable if something were to go awry.
Frequent maintenance of a Shadow however (every 4 to 6 months) will probably even out at about £100, which when you consider the £10,000 or more you'd be paying to replace the hydraulic system, is a small sacrifice. Rust is another problem, especially for early Shadows. The Chrome sills and guttering on the roof are especially prone, although the most critical problem is rust on the chassis, which if left can compromise the whole car and essentially write it off. A bit of a buying tip, if the car's body looks good, be sure to check underneath because you may see some costly rust gremlins down there that could ruin your investment.
Another place the Shadow has found itself is in the world of movies. Of course any film that has an upper-crust theme or feel to it would have to include a Rolls, but since 2nd hand Shadows could be picked up for a song you could easily put them in your movie. Sadly, most movies that feature Shadows are ones which feature them being destroyed.
So why do I love Shadows so much? Basically because it's a mixture of all things you'd want in a car. It has a spacious, luxury interior, it has a world beating design dripping with chrome and adorned with the finest hood ornament, and because it's dimensions aren't that far off a normal car, it can easily be used as an everyday machine unlike the Silver Cloud which is simply too big for everyday use. The Shadow is also a very personable sort of machine, if I was to own one I would treat it like a pet, and probably name it Sally (old girlfriend of mine).
Today, Shadows are by no means rare and the ones you'll find on the road are probably the best. Most of the poorer 2nd Hand ones rusted away and died back in the 1980's and 90's (or were blown up in movies, or put in swimming pools), which means that the survivors are largely under the ownership of avid enthusiasts who cherish their cars. You can find Shadows for next to nothing, with some examples going for as little as £4,000, but you'd have to be very desperate to get one of those as they'd probably be in very bad condition. Minters however can go for about £15,000 to £20,000, which when compared to some of the other cars of comparative size and quality such as the BMW's and Mercs of this world, is not a bad deal.
Lexus offered the first generation IS Series from model years 1999 to 2005 as a luxury compact with more of an emphasis on sport. This one is the SportCross version which was more wagon-like than the regular sedan version. Both the IS200 and IS300 were equipped with rear wheel drive and inline 6 engines, the latter of which with a version of Toyota’s notable 2JZ-series DOHC engine. The IS 300 had the non-turbo 2JZ-GE version.
Last week, two of my friends offered to take me on a tour of the jewels of Norfolk churches. Despite having lived in either north Suffolk or Norfolk most of my life, back in those days I had no idea about churches, nor half the villages where these jewels can be found, even existed.
First on the list was Salle.
It was a grim, wet and misty morning when Sarah and Richard picked me up at the Catholic Cathedral, and so we made our way against the rush hour traffic whilst Richard tried to keep the windscreen clear as my clothes dried out causing a slight fog in the car.
Ss Peter and Paul seems to be in the middle of nowhere, with just two other buildings keeping it company. Salle was clearly a rich parish back in the day, as it is a huge church, serving the village and the large country house, lost to view behind trees nearby.
It is a church that has something for everyone: font and cover, support arm for font cover, good glass, fine memorials, two hidden chapels, painted screens and carved bosses. And so much more beside.
Here is what my friend Simon has to say. He likes it too.
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During their awesome reign over the other great teams of Europe in the 1970s and 1980s, Liverpool football club placed a huge sign in the changing room corridor, so that it was the last thing visiting teams saw before they walked out on to the pitch: This is ANFIELD, it warned. The name alone was enough to impress. Similarly, the cover of the guidebook here proclaims, in a single word, SALLE. Again, it suffices; the word, pronounced to rhyme with call, stands for the building. Perhaps only the name Blythburgh has the same power in all East Anglia.
St Peter and St Paul is big. This is accentuated by the way in which it stands almost alone in the barley fields, with only a couple of Victorian buildings and a cricket pitch for company. What an idyllic spot! And yet there is an urban quality to the building, as if this was some great city church in the middle of Norwich or Bristol. It went up in the course of the 15th century, a replacement for an earlier building on the same site, broadly contemporary with neighbouring Cawston. While Cawston was largely the work of a single family, here the building benefited from an accident of history; several very wealthy families owned manors and halls in the parish at the same time, and it so happened that the time was the greatest era of rural church building.
Among them were the Boleyns, the Brewes, the Mautebys, the Briggs, the Morleys, the Luces and the Kerdistons, and some of their shields appear above the great west door, along with two mighty censing angels, characteristic of late medieval piety. A steady stream of hefty bequests meant that no expense needed to be spared, and the mighty tower with its vast bell openings was topped with battlements and pinnacles on the very eve of the Reformation.
As at Blythburgh, St Peter and St Paul benefited from the restraint of a late restoration, and the building as we see it now has no external Victorian additions. It is all of a piece. The porches either side are huge affairs, matching the transepts, and give the effect of a vast animal, a dragon perhaps, sprawling with erect head in the Norfolk countryside. Its tail is the chancel, in itself longer and higher than many Norfolk churches. The aisles are tall, austere, parapeted, the Perpendicular windows arcades of glass. In the porches, the vaulted ceilings are studded with bosses; the central one in the north porch depicts Christ in Majesty, sitting on a rainbow in judgement.
You enter the building from the west, an unusual experience in East Anglia, and your first sight is of the seven sacraments font with its tall 15th century canopy, similar to the cover at Cawston. This one is so big it is supported by a crane attached to the ringing gallery under the tower.
The font below is interesting because each panel is supported by an angel holding a symbol of the sacrament above - a pot of chrism oil beneath Baptism, for example. The panels themselves are simply done, and are not particularly characterful, apart from the way that Mary turns away and is comforted at the Crucifixion. This panel faces west, and then anticlockwise are the Mass (viewed sideways, as at nearby Great Witchingham), Ordination (the candidate kneeling), Baptism (a server holds the book up for the Priest to read), Confirmation (the candidate obviously a child), Penance (perhaps the most interesting panel - the penitent kneels in a shriving pew), Matrimony (the couples' hands joined by a stole, she in late 15th century dress) and finally Last Rites (the dying man on the floor under blankets as at Great Witchingham).
You can see all these panels below - click on them to enlarge them. The font step has a dedicatory inscription to John and Agnes Luce, asking for prayers for their souls. We know that John died in 1489. Perhaps the actual fabric of the building was complete by this date.
Beyond the font stretches the vastness of the building, the arcades gathering the eyes and leading them forward to the great east window. The chancel arch is barely there at all, just a simple high opening; but as MR James pointed out, it was never intended to be seen.The sheer bulk of the rood screen dado tells us quite how vast the rood apparatus must have been here, and the arch would have been pretty well hidden. Everything is built to scale; although everything has been cut off above the panels, probably in the late 1540s, the panels themselves are enormous, almost six feet high. As at Cawston, St Gregory, St Jerome, St Ambrose and St Augustine, the four Doctors of the Church, are on the doors. Either side are just two surviving paintings; to the north are Thomas and James, to the south are Philip and Bartholomew. The empty panels are a mystery; the screen stood here for a century before its destruction, so it must have been finished; and the dado seems too high to have been hidden by nave altars. And yet, it has all the appearance of never having been painted.
Because the building is so vast, the surviving medieval glass seems scattered, but there is actually a lot of it and some of it is very significant. Some was moved during the restoration of the early 20th century, when the hideous modern glass in the north transept was installed, and the yellow galley lozenges were thankfully replaced with clear glass in the 1970s. The images in the east window are mainly figures; old kings kneel before young princes, there are armoured men and angels, the remains of a scaly dragon. In the centre at the bottom is a perfect Trinity shield, displayed by an angel looking askance.
Some of the panels are now in the south transept. These include fragments of a set of the orders of angels. A kneeling figure is Thomas Brigg, donor of the transept; the scroll behind him begins Benedicat Virgo, 'Blessed Virgin'. The mother of God sits surrounded by red glory, and two women holding croziers, one of them crowned, may be St Etheldreda and St Hilda. Certainly, the crowned figure holding a cross is St Helena. You can see all these above.
Despite the wonders of the font, the screen and the glass, the great glory of the building for me is the set of bosses that line the roof of the chancel. They are easily missed, being very high, and need a good lens; a couple of my photos did not come out as well as I'd hoped, and so I must go back, as if I needed an excuse. There are nine altogether, the first and last set against the walls at the ends of the roof ridge, and they form a kind of rosary sequence of joyful and glorious mysteries. They start with the Annunciation in the west (see left) and then continue with the Adoration of the Shepherds, the Adoration of the Magi, the Presentation in the Temple, the Entry into Jerusalem, the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection , and the Ascension into Heaven. You can see these last eight in John Salmon's splendid photographs below.
There is a fine set of return stalls in the chancel. Although Salle probably never had a college of Priests, all those Masses for the dead must have provided plenty of employment, because we know that there were seven Priests here at a time when the population of the parish was barely 200. Bench ends include heads, a dragon tied up in a knot, a restored pelican in her piety, and a monkey. The misericord seats feature faces, including one that is quite extraordinary.
Although the roof isn't up to the glory of neighbouring Cawston, it includes lots of original angels and paintwork, including sacred monograms, and around the wallplate part of the Te Deum Laudamus and psalm 150. These particular texts seem to have provided the inspiration for many late 15th century interiors; the angels in the roof, the animals on the bench ends, the Saints on the rood screen all in harmony: Let everything that has breath Praise ye the Lord! The benches are mostly renewed now, but the pulpit is an elegant example of the 15th century, from the time when a priority began to be placed on preaching.
Curiously, it has been rather awkwardly converted into a three-decker arrangement, probably in the 18th century, with the addition of a platform and desk from a set of box pews. A large sounding board has been placed overhead. The box pews suggest that the medieval furnishings were replaced at an early date, although the replacements too have gone now.
Salle is one of those churches full of intriguing little details that might easily pass you by, so great is the wonder of everything around. Those two little corbel heads above the south door, for instance - what were they for? Perhaps they supported an image that could be seen from the north doorway as people entered, although not a St Christopher as the guidebook suggests, I think. There is a pretty piscina in the unfortunate north transept that has been outlined in wood, a memorial and helm above, a tall image bracket in the corner of the wall of the south transept, a floreated piscina nearby.
There are many brasses and brass inlays in the nave floor; one of the most interesting is a chalice brass (although the chalice is now gone) to Simon Boleyn, a Priest, who died in 1489, and to the east of it a pair of brasses to Geoffrey and Alice Boleyn, great-grandparents to Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII. Another pair of brasses are to Thomas and Katherine Rose and their eight children. Unlike many churches, Salle actually retains some of the 'missing' brasses, now locked away for safety. It would be nice to think they could eventually be reset in the floor.
One part of the building that many visitors must miss is the chapel above the north porch. There is no sign indicating it; but the doorway, at the west end of the north aisle, is always open. Inside, the vaulted roof is punctuated by spectacularly pretty bosses which you can view at close quarters. The colour is a bit fanciful, but they are fascinating, particularly the central boss of the Coronation of the Queen of Heaven - how on earth did that survive the Reformation?
This is a tremendous building, a box of fascinating delights. What purpose does it serve now? As I said in the introduction, its size was not in response to the needs of a congregation, and as far as worship is concerned it will never be full. It remains constantly in use, however; for regular services in the chancel, sometimes for concerts and recordings, but also of course for the poshest sort of wedding, the kind only the Church of England can provide, and no doubt other elements of the core business of CofE PLC. It is easy to be cynical, but if they ensure the survival of the building, then so be it.
Simon Knott, June 2004